From comparisons of the cephalic and pectoral girdle structures of Plotosus lineatus with those of other plotosid as well as non-plotosid siluriforms, plotosid catfishes can be defined by at least six autapomorphies. These are: (1) the absence of the ventral division of the muscle arrector dorsalis; (2) the double articulation between the neurocranium and the anterior part of the suspensorium; ...

The neurocranium generates most of the craniofacial skeleton and consists of prechordal and postchordal regions. Although development of the prechordal is well studied, little is known of the postchordal region. Here we characterize a signaling hierarchy necessary for postchordal neurocranial development involving Fibroblast growth factor (Fgf) signaling for early specification of mesodermally-...

Mutation of SATB2 causes cleft palate in humans. To understand the role of SATB2 function in palatogenesis, SATB2 analyses in vertebrate model systems will be essential. To facilitate these analyses, we have performed a cross-species comparison of SATB2 structure and function across three vertebrate model systems: mouse, chick, and zebrafish. We find that the SATB2 transcript is highly conserve...

Front cover: Cover image: Skull of the false gharial Tomistoma schlegelii (ZMMU MSU R-13859) in oblique lateral view, with bones and internal contents braincase highlighted colour. See I. Kuzmin colleagues, ‘Braincase anatomy extant Crocodylia, new insights into development evolution neurocranium crocodylomorphs.

paraschistura prokofiev, 2009 is a newly described genus based on osteological characters, but detailed information for all species of the genus is not available. to describe osteological characteristics of the endemic species of paraschistura nielseni , twelve specimens were collected from the shapur river of persis basin which drains to the persian gulf and their osteological characteristics ...

A reexamination of Eyasi 1, a later Middle Pleistocene east African neurocranium, reveals the presence of a suite of midoccipital features, including a modest nuchal torus that is limited to the middle half of the bone, the absence of an external occipital protuberance, and a distinct transversely oval suprainiac fossa. These features, and especially the suprainiac fossa, were considered to be ...